Walk Safely to School Day
Encyclopedia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in which primary school children are encouraged to walk or communte safely to school, an initiative of the Pedestrian Council of Australia (PCA). It is held annually in May on a varying date. In 2009, it will be held on 15 May.
Originally only held in New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
from 1999 to 2003, the event began nationally on 2 April 2004
The event is sponsored by the Department of Health and Ageing
Department of Health and Ageing (Australia)
The Department of Health and Ageing is an Australian Government department. Its role is to oversee the running of Australia including supporting universal and affordable access to medical, pharmaceutical and hospital services, while helping people to stay healthy through health promotion and...
and is supported by all state, territory and local governments and the Heart Foundation, the Cancer Council, Planet Ark
Planet Ark
Planet Ark is best known for its high profile recycling campaigns including, 'Cartridges 4 Planet Ark' and 'Cards 4 Planet Ark'. It is also the organiser of Australia's 'National Recycling Week' and the country's biggest annual community tree-planting event, 'National Tree Day', founded by Olivia...
, Diabetes Australia
Diabetes Australia
Diabetes Australia is the third oldest diabetes association in the world, after the United Kingdom and Portugal. Originally established in the state of New South Wales in 1937, the organisation's head office is now in the nation's capital, Canberra...
, Beyond Blue and the Australian Conservation Foundation
Australian Conservation Foundation
The Australian Conservation Foundation is an Australian non-profit, community-based environmental organisation focused on advocacy, policy research and community outreach.-History:...